At the start of the summer we sent our mate Cristina (from the other side of the office) to our Safety Course so she could check it out. She was due to head to Hondrus solo, and was slightly nervous about travelling alone. Check out how she got on below!

Hola! My name is Cristina; I have just come back from the experience of a lifetime in Honduras. I have spent a month working for a nursery in a small village on the northern coast of Honduras. Before leaving I was...

We've absolutely LOVED checking out our entries in our Instagram competition over the summer months, and now there's only three weeks to go until our beloved #myrealexperience comp closes, we thought we'd show you all our favourite 10 so far!

The Thailand Experience is legendary around these parts, and when the lovely Ollie, a guy who works for our sister company JCA wanted to jump on board, it was an offer we couldn't refuse. Last month he headed out on an adventure of a lifetime, so when he got back (and admittedly,...

And to show you all that the New Zealand Experience is one of the best adventures that the world has ever seen, here's 12 reasons why the place is a massive dreamboat/you should literally all go on this trip, now.

HEY THERE, BEAUT. We've been wanting to suss you out for ages, but it just didn't seem possible. You were too 'out there'. Too undiscovered. But now, it's time.

ALRIGHT LAOS?!

We're so excited to launch our brand new adventures, especially as it's been a firm country favourite of the Real Gap Experience team for absolute donkeys (you can barely shut Louisa up about her time out there. It's properly runs deep, y'know?)

As Nikki is brand new to the Real Gap Experience family, we decided to quiz her on her six months in South America, which she did last year. It's safe to say that all of us who haven't been to South America before are now desperate, and those that have want to go again!

You may think, “safety” oh, this is a blog for the parents… and yes, it is important for them to read through, but in actual fact, you are the one who will be travelling, you are the one who will have to think on their feet if you get into any sticky situations and it will be you who is peeling profusely if you get super sunburnt somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere!

There are load s of forums and blogs you can read to give you great travel...

Thailand is one of our favourite places in the whole wide world, so we thought we'd introduce you to a member of the RG team who makes trips like the Thailand Experience possible. It's time to meet Bee, one of our awesome guides!

Want to live on a desert island? Wake up to the sound of sassy waves, kick back in a bure for a week and sample the South Pacific life? (Nope, this is not a trick question. I REPEAT, THIS ACTUALLY EXISTS).

For the last two and a half years, I’ve been the sarcy so n’ so who’s been sitting behind Facebook, telling you all to go travelling - chucking out inspirational quote after inspirational quote. ‘Go solo!’, I say. ‘Head here!’ I say. Except, I haven’t actually *done it* on my own. Yet.

We feel your pain, solo traveller. It's pretty nerve racking travelling on your own for the first time, but rest assured there IS light on the other side - a very bright one! There's so many amazing things you can learn about yourself and others when you travel solo, and the best part is that Real Gap Experience is made up of approx 84% of go-it-alone travellers which means you'll always make other mates abroad!

Sophie has just come back from a trip of a lifetime. Not only did she get to explore Thailand from top to bottom (in a whirlwind two weeks!) but she also got to sneak in a bit of time in the legendary Cambodia too. In typical RG fashion we quizzed her about everything she got up to, so if you're looking to explore Asia yourself this is a must read!

Last August Dan was given the amazing opportunity to head Down Under and work in our Australian office in Melbourne. Was he going to turn that opportunity down? Course not! As Dan's now lived in Australia for six months, we thought we'd ask him about his time in Australia and what it's really like to live in one of the world's most liveable cities...

"Best mood: One of the best things about Melbourne is it's Suburbs. Whatever mood you're in,...

Last summer we declared Olly Bentley as our ultimate backpack wanker. His prize? A trip to Australia (on our two week East Coast Tour, HELLO!) with three of his best mates. (Yep, we absolutely hate him - the little squirt).

Now they're halfway through their tour, Olly's managed to make us all incredibly...

It's the JANUARY SALE PEOPLE! If this time of year doesn't scream amazing value, we don't know when does! To celebrate, we've compiled a list of our top three most affordable adventures so you can get on the road, and stat. Remember, our sale ends on 31st January (which is THIS Saturday) so make sure you don't miss out!

Not sure whether you want to spend Christmas in the UK this year? Let us introduce you to Sam, our Product Exec, who spent last Christmas in the scorchin' Australia! (We're not sure our turkey leftovers will ever look the same again...)

I' d planned to spend the whole year working and living in Australia, so I always knew that I would have to spend a Christmas away from home. After 25 years of tradition (all of the extended family packed into my parent’s house for a...

Last month Real Gap Experience's Dan said 'bye' to Brighton, and 'HELLO' to Melbourne as he made the move over to join our Australian team. Thing is, Dan hadn't actually been to Australia before.... (eeek)

We all knew that Dan would LOVE Melbourne. Surprise surprise, he's in love with the joint. (Check him out with one of our resident Aussies, Real Gap's Alicia!). We thought we'd check in with Dan to see how he's been getting on #DanUnder (we're PROUD of that one, we...

Back in July, Hannah flew the nest (aka, our Australian office) to go on an ? long 'gap year' in Africa. To find out about the INCREDIBLE adventures she's had so far, check out the below!

Hey there guys and welcome!

Hannah here from the Real Gap in Australia. Having packed up my life back home for a bit, I am currently travelling around Africa. I am exploring the South before relocating to Kenya. I have travelled from...

Here in the office, we're all obsessed with travel and Chris is no exception. After living in Cambodia for seven months we can well and truly say that he is the Real Gap Experience Cambodia expert - he never stops talking about his favourite country!

To celebrate the launch of the all new Cambodia Experience, we thought we'd ask Chris about all of his favourite Cambodian things. Be prepared for inspiration central! (Can we all go now please...)

We’d put any money on this: if the whole world could, they’d take a year out to head to Australia. Go on, disagree with us! (We know you won’t). Here in the UK, Australia as seen as ‘the’ place to go to take time out and if we could we’d go for months, if not years. Unfortunately for some of us this can’t be done (we have to keep the website going for you lot!) but when I got the chance to take three weeks off to go explore, I couldn’t resist...

You've spent the last 13 years of your life in school, now it's time to ditch off the textbooks. If you've decided not to go to uni, you literally have the whole world at your feet and that is BLOODY EXCITING.

Not sure whether to stick it out at home or go travelling? Check out our amazing one year plan and you'll soon know where you want to be...

Looking to hit the East Coast of Australia this year? Sam has just come back from her year abroad in Aus... so here are her top tips for the EC!

1) Sailing on Whitsundays – This was by far the highlight of my whole trip! After boarding our groups own private yacht and sailing into the stunning clear blue sea, we got to spend the afternoon swimming and snorkelling. We saw hundreds of different fish and sea life and the views were breath-taking. We...

Brits have a nasty habit of upping the anti and going all ‘God Save The Queen’ on the world when they’re abroad – we’ve all seen it (and shuddered at it). Some of us do it by accident (‘erm excuse me, where’s the nearest rubbish pub?’) and some of us are just darn right obnoxious (‘BUT WHY don’t they speak any English? Gahhhh’).

Hot on the tail of Facebook and Twitter as social media’s next BIGBIGBIG thing, Instagram has now hit the 200 million users mark. Not surprising really, seeing as though it’s the best thing since sliced bread!

If you get a bit snap happy when you’re away and you want to document your adventures – get Instagram. Simple. Reasons why?

You can easily update friends and family with what you’re doing, when you're doing it. Hearing about it over email...

Want to give your CV a massive boost, but not sure how? Travelling can prove to be a game changer on your resume, especially if you make an extra special effort to do something which will make you stand out from the crowd. Talking points in interviews – check, once in a lifetime experiences – check… 'check' out how you can become of those lucky travelers below:

So, we made it back safe and sound, had the best time and have had a couple of weeks to recover... here's a run down of our highlights from the last 9 months.

1. Elephants in Thailand!

We spent a whole day hanging out with a pack of elephants, firstly going into the jungle and cutting down some bamboo for then, then heading to the elephant show and watching some awesome tricks, nearly getting stood on by one! Then we went to the elephant...

Hi everyone, we've made it home back to not so sunny England and we're missing travelling already! Can't believe it went so quickly! Here's the last leg of our America journey and what's next for us :)

New Orleans couldn't come quick enough. It was great to be able to sleep in a bed, rather then in a campsite! New Orleans is like something out of a film, its amazing. The architecture is beautiful, the food is incredible, even the street signs are cool! We got to the hotel and then...

Let's face it, the job market today is a little bit tricky. With competition getting fiercier and fiercier, it's imperative that you make yourself stand out. With an internship you can do just that, but with an international internship you can REALLY put yourself on to map.

Luckily for you lot, help is at hand in the shape of Real Gap's Claire. Imagine Claire as your career fairy godmother - she's our Business Development Manager and she spends her time at schools,...

We’ve all been there, done that and got the t-shirt - you want to go away, but you have absolutely no idea where you actually want to go. The worst bit is most of us want to tick off the whole world, which then causes the dilemma of where you start it all off. Don’t worry, we’re here to help! Follow our guide below and you’ll be bracing yourself for your first big adventure in no time:

Hi there! Here's the latest from the USA experience. You certainly pack a lot into 3 weeks so be prepared to go on a rollercoaster of sites and experiences on your trek :)

Day 9

Today we headed to Carlsbad Caverns, a national park which consists of cool caves and lots of natural wonders. If you're into geography, then this will be right up your street. As much as I appreciated the amazing nature of it, I was a bit worried about the bats, but...

It's official: The Thailand Experience is legendary within the Real Gap Experience camp. It's received 9/10 stars from over 260 past travellers, the dates for the summer are already packed out and frankly - we don't think it's hard to see why. It's BIG news and to show the rest of you what it's all about we thought we'd run through our biggest finds, surprises and share our secret tips with you about one of our...

Let's not beat around the bush here - we all like to look good on holiday. If anything we have the hundreds of holiday snaps to take into consideration – they’re going to be splashed all over Facebook! To save your dignity (and your back, as let’s face it- that backpack is going to be HEAVY) we thought we’d dish out our top tips on what to take, and what to ditch off on the Thailand Experience.

Here's the next installment of the antics that go on when you take part in the USA Experience :-)

Day 5

We're off to the wonder that is the Grand Canyon! After a short-ish drive we all put pillowcases on our heads or other forms of blindfolds on and got walked to the edge so we could have an uninterrupted first look at the canyon, and it was fantastic!! One of the best things I've ever seen!

Hey everyone! We are nearing the end of our amazing trip now, finishing off in the Big Apple. Looking back over our travels we have met hundreds of people and made some awesomee freinds. During the trip we have travelled as a pair, as a large group and also individually. If you are planning your own RTW trip and are wondering which is the best option then heres a blog that might help you out.

Hi everyone! Following our Fiji adventure we were off across the pacific to the hustle and bustle of America! Booked on the 21 day USA experience we had a few days to chill in San Fran before we started in LA.

Day 1

Met the group around 7:30am in downtown LA for a quick get to know each other sesh and it was time to hit Hollywood boulevard :-)

We saw the walk of fame, the oscars theatre and the famous hollywood sign.

We all want to look good on our travels, granted. Our FB albums are longing to be packed to the brim with ridiculously impressive snaps from around the world, and the last thing we want to do is hide them all from our timelines!

But in all seriousness, this is real life. If you're going to be backpacking we can almost guarantee that you'll be on-the-go constantly, and the last thing which'll plague your brain will be your clothes! ‘Is this in season...

After we left the awesome staff at Coral View resort we made our way on the boat to Beachcomber island, the official party island of Fiji.

We were so tired after the emotional goodbye, the first night we just chilled in the 120 bed dorm room!! It certainly was an experience, there were no walls, just nets, and so many beds all in little clusters. Thankfully there were only around 20 people in the room so it wasn't too busy :-)

‘Tourists see the world, travellers experience it’ is an anology we live close by here at Real Gap. One of the best ways to travel is to really scratch away at a place, to go off exploring and to go off the beaten track. Staying close to the tourist trail is a fantastic way to kick back and relax (usually around a pool, right?) but if you want to do something which will change your life, pick and country and actually #seeit....

Leaving the outback and heading to the paradise of Fiji was a little daunting at first, but something that we had been looking forward to since we left for our ultimate year out!

We arrived in Nadi and were instantly overwhelmed by Fijian hospitality. We got picked up and taken to our hostel and within an hour we had booked our trip to the Yasawa Islands. That night we got to watch (but not experience, well...

It was straight off the plane from new Zealand and then on to the first greyhound bus to Byron Bay! Only a short 14 hour bus ride overnight to our destination. It really does enlighten how big Australia is! Luckily as I was so tired from the night before being on a plane, I pretty much slept the whole way through.

First stop Byron Bay! It's the hippie central of Australia with loads of funky bars and shops where you can get your palm read as well as...

We're all massive fans of our food here at Real Gap, and one of the best things about going away is undeniably the chance to try a host of exotic foods. Check out Real Gap’s Chris, who ended up getting more than he bargained for during his travels throughout Asia...

‘I was wandering around a small town in Thailand and I was hungry, looking for some food, specifically chicken,...

After the adventure of the North Island, it was time to explore the beauty of the South Island! For The Lord of the Rings fans, this is where you'll find all the mountain ranges and the forests and lakes and things :-)

Our first stop was Kaiteriteri, where we decided to take it easy and do a little sunbathing whilst the others went kayaking, the same for our next stop Westport! Then it was on to Franz Josef where the fun and adventure kicked up a notch! Franz Josef...

We’re all serious travelholics here in the Real Gap office. Last week RG’s Hannah got back from touring around Sri Lanka, Alex had been sunning it up in Cape Verde, Nicky was city breaking in the glamorous New York and on Monday Rob landed back in the UK from Cape Town. Trust us, it’s hard to keep track of where we’re all off to!

Since last May I’ve been counting down my massive trip to Australia. It’s always felt...

Looking for a bit of a shake up on the Aussie job scene? Once you've tried your hand at some casual work during your year abroad (theme parks, offices, outdoorsy jobs - it's all up for grabs!) it can be cool to try something a little different out, like au pairing. Check out Becky's guide to au pairing below...

For my last six weeks in Sydney I worked as an au pair and loved every second of it! If you like kids and have some...

So, with Becky still working as an Au Pair in Sydney, and my contract at Luna Park coming to an end, I decided to take a quick trip to the paradise that is New Zealand, and if you're in Australia, or thinking about going, then do it! It's definitely one of the highlights of my trip so far. Even though, I think that about almost everywhere I've been so far!

Here at Team RG we're one happy bunch, and to celebrate International Happiness Day we thought we'd dig deep and see what's made some of our fabulous team happy, travel highlight styley!

Lisa, Sales and Customer Operations Manager: Stumbling across a wedding in Cambodia where the whole street had been blocked off for the celebrations. We stuck are heads in and next minute we were being twirled round the...

When RG's Head of Marketing Will headed to Ghana to visit our projects, he had a fantastic time! It's official: the kid's in Ghana are the nicest, ever!

After tough negotiating with BA staff to get an upgrade on my seat (extra leg room only before you get ahead of yourself) I found my seat only to be confronted by a Ghanaian lady holding a tiny child! Penance for being difficult I here you say - very possibly, very possibly.

So, Mel and Becky set off on the trip of a lifetime in September. Not able to wait for a year before seeing Mel again, we - Mel's Mum and Dad, decided to have a trip of a lifetime of our own and see Mel in Australia.

Mel had a full itinerary for us and we had 10 days of fabulous sightseeing. To all those parents who like us aged rapidly when told the news their offspring are off to travel the world, be assured Australia is THE place to be. Sydney...

Here at Real Gap Experience we love seeing your travel dreams come true, and last year Joel won a competition on Facebook that'd send him to South Africa to our Big 5 project! Check out how he got on with this daily diary...

Day 1 - Hiya everyone! On day 1 we arrived in Port Elizabeth, where I met two girls who had been on same flight as me - and we were dropped off at the lodge (we saw Zebra and Springbok on the way in!). Unfortunately some other...

So it's been a very eventful few weeks for me here in Sydney. As you know Melissa had her parents and sister come visit (see previous blog) and I was expecting my sister to visit too. I was really excited to see her and I was planning things we were going to do. A few days before she arrived my dad skyped me and told me he was right here in Sydney! I thought he was joking. I can't believe he kept it quiet but I'm glad he did because it was an amazing surprise.

Thinking about doing something incredible this year? Here at RG we love getting our teeth stuck into a new challenge and three of us have completed the Kilimanjaro climb. RG's Sophie is now planning on hitting Everest Base Camp too! So, when @LeighannJordan asked us for some advice for her trek up to Everest BC, we thought we'd put together some hints and tips!

G'day! We've been in Sydney for around 4 months now, so we like to think we're pretty clued up on the nightlife! Here's our top 5 of the best places to hang out down under.

1. Sidebar

I think this has to be our favourite place. Its based at WakeUp hostel, which is where you'll stay if you go for Real Gap's Paid work and Sydney intro programme. Its got quiz nights, live music, as well as cheap...

We all know how hard it can be to choose your latest adventure. There's a whole world to choose from, and you wouldn't want to make a rash decision and end up in god knows where, would you?! We feel your pain #toughtimes

To sort you out, we reckon we should harness our combined travel genius and help guide you back on to the straight and narrow. First stop - South Africa!

Hi everyone, we'd thought we'd fill you in on what the food scene is here in Oz. It's not all kangaroo and crocodile, there is some around though! They love sushi here in Australia, and in your local 7/11 (newsagents), you'll find freshly prepared sandwiches, wraps, and sushi rolls, complete with tiny soy sauce fish! It's lovely :-)

As well as sushi, there's lots of Thai and Asian food, which is great if you're looking to stay healthy here.

What do you do when your travelling half way around the world and miss your family and friends like crazy? Choose a country in the middle and explore it together!

I have been away for 5 months now and loved every second of it. I keep in touch with family and friends regularly using email, Facebook, whatsapp, snapchat and... (the best invention ever) ...Skype! It's great to be able to speak and see people you know no matter where in the world you...

Hi guys! We're officially half way into our ultimate year out and we can't believe how fast it's going! Only got a few more weeks in Sydney before we're off on our next adventure.

If you're wanting to go on an adventure but not sure how long to go for, then my advice would be- the longer the better! Time flies so quickly when you're travelling, so do and see as much as possible before you have to go home, because trust me, as much as you might miss...

Hi everyone! We thought we'd give you the low down on finding somewhere to live when you make it down under!

If you go with Real Gaps paid work and sydney intro, you get 7 nights accomodation at wake up hostel, which is a really nice hostel in Sydney City centre. As well as this, if you decide to stay longer, then you get a cheaper rate! We actually stayed there for a good few weeks whilst we were deciding what we our next...

Hi! It's hot, hot, hot here in Sydney and we've been spending a lot of time on the beach soaking up the sun - so here's our top 5 beaches to get you in the sandy mood...

1. Bondi

It may be an obvious choice, but it's the best for a reason! It's massive so you'll always find a spot; the the sand is lush and it has the best waves for swimming. Not to mention they film Bondi Rescue there!

When this time rocks up each January, we don't half feel sorry for you lot doing your A-Levels. We know how you feel; your life as you know it is in serious limbo and frankly, deciding whether you want to go to uni or not can kindly shove off.

We know a load of you won't be sure as truthfully, most of us weren't 100% sold whether we wanted to go to uni either. Between the RG team we're split 50/50 with uni goers, so it's easy for us to argue the pros and cons; there...

So we fulfilled our 2013 New Years resolution of seeing the Sydney harbour fireworks, and we were not disappointed, they were amazing!

Me and Becky were due to work New Years Eve at Luna Park, as they have a massive harbour party every NYE. But even though we were in work, we couldn't have been in a better location. We started work at 5:30pm, so before we got there, we went to meet our friends who had been camped out in a prime viewing spot in North...

For the last ten weeks, wildlife enthuasiast Nicky Lawrence has spent time at our Big 5 reserve in South Africa, participating on our Game Ranger Internship (with a splash of volunteering thrown in for good measure). Check out her blog post on her experience below!

Warning, the old cliché of "the best experience of my life" applies here! ...

2013 has been a BIG year for Team RG. We’ve upped sticks and moved to the seaside, dominated Brighton with our nights out (soz, Brights) and have been travelling around left, right and centre to control our symptoms of ‘itchy feet’ #nofungusinvolvedpromise

As we’re all obsessed with travelling here in the Real Gap office, we thought we’d work out how many countries we’ve discovered between us this year and we’ve got to admit, we’re pretty impressed. Over the last 12 months we've...

Me and Becky were a bit dubious about what Christmas would be like away from our families. It's the first time either of us have been away at this time of year, so we were thinking it would be really strange and we'd miss people too much. Well, even though we did miss people, we had such a fab Christmas Day!

Us and the Real gap Sydney Intro gang spent the holidays together, as were all away from our families. We started out on Christmas Eve, Becky and EJ went...

Hey everyone, now that we've settled into working life here in Sydney. Here's a bit of an insight as to what life is like working at a theme park.

Luna park is one of the oldest running theme parks in Australia, and has closed and reopened many times. It's situated right next to the harbour bridge, which means amazing views and ample opportunities for pictures!

Hi everyone! Now we're all settled in Sydney (we've bagged ourselves a job and a flat!) - we thought we'd offer some hints and tips that we picked up whilst on the job hunt Down Under.

If you decide to go for the Paid work and Sydney Intro - which is the Real Gap trip that we are both on, then you'll get membership with the Work and Travel Company, who are there to help you find work...

Hi everyone! Have you caught up with our week 1 blog post of the Sydney Intro? If so, here's the second part to our big adventure!

Day 4 Thursday - today, we took advantage of the amazing weather and headed for our first ever visit to Bondi!! I have to say, it was pretty beautiful. They were filming Bondi Rescue at the time as well which was very exciting. We went along the costal walk where the annual...

Hi! We've been getting stuck in to Aussie life on the Real Gap Sydney Intro... so here's a run down of what you get up to at the start of your week!

Day 1 Monday - today's the day everyone arrives. You'll be able to check into the hostel anytime after 12, so if your flight arrives before that and you get to the hostel a bit early, you can wait in reception and use the wifi to send a message to let home know you've arrived safely (...

Here at Real Gap, we're all obsessed with our Diving and Marine Conservation project in Belize, Central America. Now, after ten years of being in operation, the team have won an incredible award at the World Responsible Tourism awards... and we couldn't be more proud!

If you're interested in either A) learning to dive in a pretty spectacular environment or B) marine conservation then it's pretty simple- our...

Hi everyone! We've just left Melbourne for the warmer climates of Alice Springs, preparing for our trip to Uluru in the morning and thought we'd update you!

After 10 days in Melbourne, we think we've seen everything it has to offer, and we loved it! It's true that it's a city with four seasons in one day, so layers and trousers can come in handy. We had to make an emergency stop to outlet mall...

Hi everyone, it's Melissa and Becky here! After our volunteering stint in Surin, we decided to get some much needed R&R in the Thai Islands.

There's quite a lot to chose from, so we thought we'd give you a run down of what's what!

We headed to Phuket first, which is the largest of the islands, and the craziest we visited! What we thought was a nice relaxing beach retreat, soon changed, thanks to the rain. Instead, we tested out a few of the many bars and...

We're currently hiding from the rain, monsoon season really has hit. So we thought we would update you on how things went in Bangkok once we moved to Khao San Road.

We had heard a lot of talk about Khao San road but there aren't really many words to describe it. There are bars, shops and restaurants as well as street sellers offering many delights of Thailand including the odd scorpion or two... which we quickly...

Now their 'Ultimate Year Out' has officially begun, Melissa and Becky have kindly updated us on their first few days in the buzzin' Bangkok. We must admit, back in Real Gap HQ we're very jealous! Here's how they're getting along so far on their adventure...

Hi! It's taken us a few days but we've nearly settled into how things work here in Thailand!

Real Gap customer Cally has just come back from our awesome Vietnam Experience, and after tweets galore and a review for the website- she's kindly written up her thoughts on the Vietnam Experience for the old RG blog!

Xin ciao! If you talk to anyone about Vietnam they will mostly say the same: "it's so beautiful!" This however was not the first impression I had of Hanoi, the historical old capital where the Vietnam experience begins and ends. The...

Here at Real Gap Experience, we know big RTW trips aren't for everyone. To set out on a 6 month+ adventure, you need to be reasonably prepared, travel savvy and have exploration running through your veins. Others understandably, prefer to stick to one continent or even more specifically- one country. So how do you know what option's best for you? We've come up with a little criteria which can help you decide whether you're a RTW or a RTB (round-the-block, to you and me) type......

Australia is ONE popular country to visit... we send hundreds of you off RTW each year, and as we’re approaching prime Aussie departure time, we thought we’d fill you in with everything you'll need to know if you’re one of the lucky ones swanning off (and if you are, can you make room for us in your suitcase- pretty please?).

Budget: If you’re heading out to Australia to work Down Under for a year, you’ll...

As an Australian born traveller who's straight out of school, I can empathise with the many backpackers shocked at the cost of travelling in Aus (perhaps it’s even more surprising for me given the fact that I've lived there for the vast majority of my life!). If I found prices to be sky high, how must foreigners feel!? However, this is where my advantage lies; in that I could use a number of insider secrets to lessen the damage on the wallet. These secrets, or a few of them anyway, I’m...

It's official... we're upping sticks and moving to Brighton! To mark our new start in the ultimate seaside town we've got some awesome spots in team RG up for grabs. Interested? Keep on reading!

After spending the first ten or so years of it's life in Tunbridge Wells, Real Gap is moving to Brighton! We're all so stoked about our new start, and to kick off the occasion in serious style we've got some mega cool jobs available in the best travel team in the world #...

We can picture it now… cocktails on the beach at Bondi, soaking up the sun in Sydney, diving in the Great Barrier Reef... (and that's without even mentioning the excitement of having a whole new country to explore!). There's no denying that Australia is an awesome backpackers destination, and over the next week we’re going to be launching a mini ‘backpackers budget’ series- giving you guys all of the goss on life Down Under. ...

One thing I often think to myself when I'm away in a new place is that I wish someone had told me this or advised me of that, that I was aware of something, or had considered something else. When I write for Real Gap I try to remember what went through my head at a certain point in time and be that little angel of wisdom on travellers' shoulders around the world. Perhaps one of the more confronting times in Asia was crossing the border from Thailand to Cambodia...

Charlie has literally been EVERYWHERE (well, almost!) and so he's always there to dish out great travel advice. One of the questions he always gets asked is about fundraising, so he's decided to put together some of his top ideas to help some of you guys out! (He says: You're welcome!).

Ultimately, fundraising is down to the individual. What they're like, how serious they are and what they feel comfortable doing- and so as with a...

With Australia fast losing its reputation as a gritty, never-say-die sporting nation following yet another crushing Ashes Test defeat, a demolition by the British & Irish Lions (even though the Wallabies should have wrapped it up by the second match), and last year's dismal Olympics showing, what is happening to sport in the good old Aus?

Although no longer at the competitive peak of 2001 when Australia's trophy cabinet consisted of... *deep breath in*... a Rugby...

After Sally's first night in Dar, the next stop was the beautiful spice island of Zanzibar...

The local driver dropped me at the ferry port and purchased the ticket, so it was all nice and straight forward – be careful of the local “porters” who show you to your seat – falling for this myself I realised they then expect a big tip in return and you don’t really need them! Having dosed up on motion sickness tablets in preparation for the 2 hour “choppy” journey I had...

RG's Sally has just embarked on a trip of epic proportions to Tanzania, and now she's back here's round two of her tale!

Throughout my week I was welcomed with the greetings “Jambo” and “Karibu” by friendly staff and locals. The wonderful bright colours and sounds of African life hit you immediately, so be prepared for a culture shock of the best kind as you pass random cow herds wondering along the road, women carrying all sorts of incredible things on their heads,...

After being a star member of team Real Gap for the last six and a half years, Sally has spent time living, working, studying, and travelling abroad- but had never had the chance to tick Africa off her list. It's fair to say that when she was offered the chance, there was more than a little excitement there!

Despite my past travelling experience, it's always a bit daunting setting off to the unknown, just you and your...

Authenticity is something that is important to me in many aspects of life, in this respect, travelling. I want to be able to see the real country I visit and gain insight into the lives of everyday people – it’s a key part of travelling isn’t it?

Put quite simply, Cambodia is the best country I have been to in Asia primarily due to the fact that it largely felt genuine. Having crossed the border from Thailand where many places seemed to solely exist for the purpose of...

Real Gap Experience customer Chloe headed over to our Australian Outback Ranch back in April, and it's fair to say that she loved her experience! Prepare to roll up your sleeves up though...

Being a self-proclaimed lazy person, the ranch experience was a far cry from my usual lifestyle. And that's exactly why I went for it. 6:30am wake-up call? MARVELLOUS. Sarcasm? Me? Never! But after the first day I realised I was genuinely happy to be getting up in the dark. How...

I was lucky enough to time my trip with Vesak when I headed over to Sri Lanka last month (this wasn’t done on purpose!). This is a huge festival in Sri Lanka, sometimes informally called "Buddha's Birthday", marking the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha.

Continuing on with her stories from Sri Lanka, Lisa's been dishing the dirt on our Sri Lanka Sea Turtle and Community project...

A local bus from Colombo to Kosgoda “whizzed” me down south towards our fantastic Turtle Conservation project. I say “whizzed”, but what I mean is “dawdled” its way along the coast giving me plenty of time to soak up life beyond the bus, including a Brahminy Kite (big bird of prey and very impressive) circling over a river.

I'm Ollie, and this is my first blog for Real Gap since luckily becoming an employee here. You can read a little more about me in my bio section, but in the meantime I hope you like what I have to say!

I can make no authoritative claim to be a seasoned traveler, and I would be taking liberties to call myself an expert on the many cultures and customs of South-East Asia, but having experienced the delights of Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh City and Kuala Lumpur to...

Real Gap's Lisa travelled to Sri Lanka at the start of the month to discover this beautiful part of the world. Find out how she got on on our Elephants and Community project...

I arrived in Rambukkanna in the dark (it gets dark at about 7pm all year round in Sri Lanka so be prepared for short evenings!) and so it wasn’t until the morning that I could take in the surroundings properly. Leaning over the balcony of the volunteer accommodation, I watched some...

Our very own Lisa has just come back from a trip to Sri Lanka, and over the next week she's going to be letting us in on what she got up to! First things first- we want to hear why we should be heading to Sri Lanka this year...

I hadn’t really had too much time to research Sri Lanka before I jetted off on my mission and so the usual devouring of a Lonely Planet took place on the flight from London to Colombo. As we flew over Southern India and on across the Indian Ocean, which...

I have a confession to make. I am addicted to the Real Gap Experience website- I browse it every day, planning trips and deciding where to explore next. It’s been my lifelong dream to see the world, ever since I was little I had visions of donning a backpack, immersing myself into different countries and cultures and exploring the world. One day I decided to put my dream to travel into action, I went onto the Real Gap website and headed straight over to the Thailand section and after reading...

Scuba pro Polly, the founder of our 'Dive and Marine' Conservation project in Belize, has dived over 5000 times (told you she was a pro!). We love scuba diving here at RG (but admittedly, it can be a little bit difficult at first!) so Polly's kindly given us a few tips on how we can perfect our diving skills. Cheers Polly!

We've just received a fantastic blog post from Real Gap Experience customer Archie Middleton, who's just completed our Game Ranger Internship. If you want to find out what life's like on a Big 5 game reserve, have a little gander....

My time spent training for my level one Field Guide qualification on my Game Ranger internship in South Africa was some of the best of my life so far. What made it so enjoyable was the fact that although we...

As a massive portion of you will already know, our very own Ben (Sales Manager) and Harriet (Travel Advisor) went on their own Thailand Experience trip back in March. As so many of you had been asking questions about one of our biggest trips over the last few weeks, we thought we’d ask them both to look back on their trip one month on and give you lot the insider goss...

Hi guys! last month I made my way over to Costa Rica to check out our awesome projects- and guess what? I loved it!

So what’s so great about Costa Rica? Well, let me bend your ear a minute and let me tell you about one of the most amazing countries I have ever visited (and I’ve been to a few – not to blow my own trumpet or anything!).

I don’t have enough time to tell you everything I love about this tiny but bursting-at-the-seems...

<p><strong style="line-height: 1.538em;">Since I&#39;ve been back in the UK for just under two weeks now, I thought it was about time that I let you guys know about how our&nbsp;</strong><strong style="line-height: 1.538em;">16 day whirlwind trip (really)</strong><strong style="line-height: 1.538em;">&nbsp;went...</strong></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">I have worked in...

After a lovely spicy noodle breakfast Ben and I decided that a beach day was in order (after all, we needed to top up our tans!). As it was yet another absolute scorcher- around 40c, we spent most of it in the sea rather than on the beach. It was great to have the time to chill out and lay low, especially before the evening's shananagans of the...

Hi there, it's Harriet again. Thought I'd take over the blogging baton from Ben for the last couple of days!

After leaving Koh Tao we boarded the ferry to the stunning Koh Phangan. Luckily we prebooked the tickets (as they were fully booked!) - we reckon this was because of the Full Moon Party that was due to kick off the following day!

The ferry took 1 hour and we jumped in a taxi to our Thailand Experience final week's...

Hiya guys! Now we're back in the UK Harriet and I thought we'd update you all on the last few days of our trip (Full Moon Party n' all!)- so expect to see all of the action on the Real Gap blog over the next week!

After having an amazing time volunteering, we spent our days 11-13 making our way down to the islands. We stopped back off at Bangkok for a couple of days to split up the trip, and then started the next part of our journey...

<p><strong style="line-height: 1.538em;">It&#39;s Ben again! Jungle action, anyone?</strong></p><p>A<span style="line-height: 1.538em;">fter being woken up at 5am by dogs barking and cockerels cocka doodle-dooing, I remembered that I was in the jungle, in a tent, in a house! So random yet so incredibly awesome! I eventually crawled out of my sleeping bag at 6:30am, more than ready for a massive cup of coffee (after 7 Changs the...

It's Harriet here! After making our way into the jungle following our volunteering stint in Sangkhaluburi, we've seen and done some amazing stuff!

Our time at the jungle project was INCREDIBLE! At this time of the year (March) lots of the local schools are closing up for Summer the team are able to send some volunteers out into the jungle to teach in a Summer English camp.

<p><strong style="line-height: 1.538em;">It&#39;s Harriet again! Today we completed our volunteering stint on the non-community option of the Thailand Experience; and it was so awesome!</strong></p><div><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">Our alarms went off at 6am and Ben and I got ready for our next day of volunteering - this time with the building group (non community option on the Thailand Experience). This group start earlier...

Harriet here! I've taken over the blogging duties from Ben today... and day 7 of our Thai adventure was all about the volunteering!

There was an early rise and shine for us and our wonderful fellow volunteers on Monday. At 8am we met up down in the hotel reception and jumped into a shared taxi truck to the Childcare centre (approx 25 mins from the hotel).

We woke up around 7:30am to be met by Lucy, who is the manager of the Thailand Experience here in Sangklaburi. She kindly picked us up from the volunteer house to take us to the Seedan Hotel to meet up with the Thailand experience group- we had breakfast with the guys and then we all went on an orientation of Sangklaburi to be shown where all the bars, banks, chemists, coffee shops, laundry shops are. It was so handy to know where everything is; it was well...

Ben again! Want another full low down of our Thailand Experience day?!

We left our hotel bright and early- and at 09:30 we headed off to meet the group of 36 strong Thailand Experiencers to head off to Sangklaburi for our stint of volunteering. The hotel the Thailand Experience group were staying in was lovely, we met them whilst they were having breakfast on a boat house that was located on the River Kwai. Needless to say the views were...

Hi all! It's Harriet this time, blogging from the heart of Thailand! A few days ago we started our volunteering adventure...

Wow what a day we've had today! Earlyish start around 9am. Wandered over to our new favourite local restaurant for some breakfast for me (and coffee for Ben!) I opted for noodles fried with egg and chilli flakes with lime - it was ideal, so much more fun than cornflakes!

Hi, it's Ben again! Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to Bangkok on Thursday- so here's a catch up of what we got up to on the next step of our adventure...

After leaving our time in Bangkok behind us (sob...) we started to head awesome Kanchanaburi to meet some of the Thailand Experience group, the lovely lot who came out here on the 8th March. We woke up at...

Hi guys! I'm currently out in Thailand with Harriet, reporting back to RG base on a day to day basis. We've done so much already!

After a great nights sleep we woke up in preparation to meet our tour guide, 'On'. He's a great guy, very chatty and spoke excellent English (better than me and Harriet, ha!). We met 'On' in the Sawasadee reception, jumped in a tuk tuk and headed off to our first stop- the Grand Palace.

Over the past few weeks a few members of the RG team have been jetting off to some of our epic locations to check out our projects and experiences. Now's the time for Ben and Harriet to conquer Thailand- they're going to be travelling around and trying all things Thai for the next two weeks so expect updates galore from the troublesome twosome!

We're receiving LIVE email updates from Ben whilst they're over in Thailand; they landed on...

I've just come back from a trip of a lifetime around our Real Gap South African projects, and I thought I'd start by telling you all about my first stop off- the Big 5 trip!

We flew into Port Elizabeth fairly late in the day, so as soon as we arrived we were picked up with someone showing a sign with my name on it. After the introductions we jumped into a car and started on our journey to the game reserve. It was about an hours journey,...

Last Friday, the Rio Carnival kicked off in serious style. As travel geeks we’d absolutely love to be there: the partying, the weather, the food and drink, the music- what’s not to like? Luckily for you lot a load of our projects are in Rio, so if you time it just right you could book onto one of our trips in time to catch all of the action for yourself! So, what’s up for grabs? Here’s a selection of some of our sizzling Rio trips:

Last year, Sophie Parker and Alice Wainwright's worlds were turned upside down when they won a trip RTW with Real Gap. They've been away with us for the past few months combatting the US and Australia, and we thought it was about time we heard the inside scoop on their epic adventures...

The girl's still have a hefty slice of their RTW win to go; they'll be heading off on our Thailand Experience from the middle of March, and then flying onto the stunning South Africa...

Sometimes us Brits take for granted the fact that we are part of such a diverse continent, when really, Europe has so much to offer! Maybe you don’t have the money, time or even the urge to travel to far flung places, but do not fear, Real Gap also offers great trips in and around Europe ranging from volunteering to activity adventures.

A great way to see the “best bits” of Europe is with our European Highlights Tour http://www...

A student? Love travel, and want to get bucket loads of experience in the industry with the country's leading gap year specialist? If you've answered yes to the above, then you could be what we're looking for!

Here at Real Gap (and our sister brand i-to-i) we're looking for an enthusiastic, self motivated, ambitious student to join us on our placement program. You'll be working in Real Gap Towers for 40 weeks from August 2013, and you'll be helping the sales, marketing and...

At Real Gap HQ, we're always getting asked about packing, the bain of a travellers life. It's SO easy to forget something, and seriously- we feel all of your pain! So, want some packing tips? Step this way travelling fiend...

1. Research the climate from top to bottom! Sometimes assumptions can overcome logic. 'It's going to be BOILING in Thailand, I'll take shorts!' (thought Bob). Well, Bob thought wrong! Yes, it may be absolutely scorching...

This is a serious one. We’ve always found New Year’s resolutions really tricky, as frankly we never keep them, and this year we’ve asked around the office to see what all of our New Year’s resolutions are…

Brace yourselves guys; our sale kicks off in a weeks time! From the 27th of December, you’ll be able to pick up some massive bargains on some of our top trips, and to get you all prepared for going away to brighter climes, we thought we’d go through what we do when we plan a trip of a lifetime...

The Steps to Star-Travel-Dom

1. Know where you want to go. Sounds easy, but considering there is a whole world out there, there’s an...

Sitting at the base of the gorgeous Table Mountain, Cape Town couldn’t possibly fail to shape up to its mountainously impressive nature. With penguin colonies, gorgeous beaches, a harbour and fantastic shopping under its African belt, Cape Town is one almighty destination- and the first in our ‘Place Profile’ series!

Silly question, right? As we're staring out the window of our Tunbridge Wells office, it's grey, wet and pretty damn miserable. However, on the other side of the world in our Melbourne office we're hearing all about blue skies, scorching weather, and tan lines galore... (Jealous, us? Never!)

Not only that, but we've heard on the grapevine that the Aussie working visas are going up in price from the 1st January 2013- and not just by a measly smidgen, but by 30%. Crikey! To...

Seeing as though Americans across the board will be getting their Thanksgiving on tomorrow, we thought we'd tell all of you why we're thankful for the USA!

Fast Food, Drive Thrus and Starbucks: Here at Real Gap Experience, our lives seem to constantly revolve around searching for our next meal. The thought of not having McDonalds, KFC and Burger King on the menu sends us into a cold state of shock (although admittedly, we don't have them too often as...

We love the USA. End of. To celebrate our love for the nation of our dreams, we've put together a crafty little list of our favourite hotspots in Los Angeles:

Santa Monica Pier: Full to the brim with fun and games, arcade attractions and amazing views of the beach and beyond, Santa Monica’s pier is definitely worth a visit whilst you’re in LA. If you're lookign to pick up a cheeky tan too, then this is definitely the place to be!

We like offering a discount or three here at Real Gap, so we've decided to add the Americas along to our offer-ranks. Cheers! #YOLO

Rio de Janiero’s middle name is ‘party’ (trust us- we know him well; it’s what the Brazilians do best!). Want to party away the festive season? Join our ‘Best of Argentina and Brazil’ tour and you’ll be able to conquer Rio, explore the beauty that is Brazil and tango your way along the cosmopolitan streets of ...

We all love an occasion here at Real Gap, and today is one of our personal favourite's- Bonfire Night! To match the fiery nature of the big day, we wanted to show you a city with bags of passion and attitude; a place that could hardly be referred to as the 'shy and retiring' type...

Just as Guy attempted to blow the Houses Parliament up all those years ago, Bangkok does one better as the party capital of Thailand- it’ll blow your mind! As a part of...

As a part of our Real Gap Experience spooky spectacular, we're talking about things that have scared the pants off of us. In this particular chapter, we're going back to school and putting on our bilingual hats...

Everyone has to go to Australia once in their life, right? Of course they do and with sights like the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru and Sydney Harbour Bridge at your disposal, why wouldn’t you? One of the main stumbling blocks when it comes to taking the plunge Down Under is money and as the feeble UK Pound isn’t fairing too well against the muscular Aussie Dollar you’re going to need some funds if you’re planning on staying a while.

Quick flight from Heathrow, catch a few zeds on route and before you know it, boom, you’re in Bangkok!

Talk about a culture shock! One moment you’re scavenging around Boots for Malaria tablets and the next your standing on the Khaosan Road looking for a place to live. But this is what you signed up for, right? And bravely you find your way past the hawkers, gawkers and squawkers as your adventure begins and your Thailand experience...

So, you’ve decided to take a gap year or a summer break and now you need to think about how you’re going to pay for it. You’ll need enough money for the trip, for flights, insurance, visas, equipment and spending money… so where’s it all going to come from?

Whether you want to earn enough money to fully fund your trip, or if you’re just looking to top up what you’re already saved, here are a few fundraising tips to help you get on your way:

So, you’re going away on your travels… but what are you going to take with you? Panic not; here at Real Gap we’ve used our many years of experience and our well travelled team to put together this list of our top ten things to take on your travels. You’re welcome!

1) Money

Apparently it makes the world go round, but more important money helps you go round the world! You’ll want spending money for anything from paying for the meals not included in your trip price to...

Working holidays in Australia are all the rage. Jet over to the other side of the world, see the incredible sights of the country and fund your travels as you go. What could be more perfect for the traveller on a budget?

If you’re looking to see the world but you don’t have a lot of money to do it, working holidays are the ideal option and Australia is one of the most exciting places to do it. With language barriers non-existent and plenty of jobs available, you’ll be sure of a...

Adventure travel is exciting. It’s about adrenaline, it’s about experiences and it’s about making the memories and the stories that you’ll tell for the rest of your life.

Take our Peru Inca Trail trip as an example. Spending seven days trekking through this stunning landscape, you’ll experience sights and feelings like never before. Following Inca traditions and history from Cusco, you’ll pass through the fertile Sacred...